(openPR) - A novel approach to laser guide star technology, developed by TOPTICA jointly with ESO and the Canadian company MPB Communications has had its “first light” at the Public Observatory in Ottobeuren, Germany. The laser system generates a narrow-band 20 Watt cw beam at 589 nm and is designed to resonantly excite the sodium atoms in the Earths mesosphere at 90 km distance from the ground. In the future, this “guide star technique” (SodiumStar) will serve as a beacon to enable the so-called adaptive optics system of a large telescope, that corrects for wavefront-distortions induced by turbulences in the atmosphere of the Earth.

In July 2010, TOPTICA was awarded a contract for the development and final installation of four Sodium guide star lasers by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). The “Wendelstein laser” now is the first publically visible result of the close cooperation between the partners. It is the first on-sky-installation and will be operational at the Allgäu Public Observatory for a few months, and is attracting quite a bit of public awareness. ESO will use this laser in the following weeks to conduct atmospheric measurements, validating the general set-up in operation and obtaining more detailed information about subtleties of the sodium distribution in the mesosphere. In particular, the excitation efficiency under the varying earth magnetic field will be studied in order to maximize the LGS return signal during typical observation conditions.

TOPTICA has developed the laser guide star based on its core technology combined with a novel narrow-band Raman fiber amplifier technology (EFRA), that was initially invented by ESO’s laser group. The technology has been licensed in order to amplify a spectrally narrow and tunable diode laser seed at 1178 nm to about 35 Watt of optical power. Subsequent efficient frequency conversion yields more than 20 Watt output power right at the sodium resonance (589 nm) with a line width of less than 5 MHz. The approach is overcoming multiple previous approaches that were, to say the least, difficult to implement on the top of a mountain, where typical earth-based telescopes are situated. In 2013, four of these TOPTICA laser guide star are to be installed at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the ESO at Paranal, Chile.

Click here for more information about guide star lasers: www.toptica.com/applications/scientific/guidestar_laser.html

TOPTICA Photonics AG develops, manufactures, services and distributes technology-leading diode and fiber lasers and laser systems for scientific and industrial applications. Sales and service is offered worldwide through TOPTICA Germany and its subsidiary TOPTICA USA, as well as all through 14 distributors. A key point of the company philosophy is the close cooperation between development and research to meet our customers’ demanding requirements for sophisticated customized system solutions and their subsequent commercialization.

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